Month: February 2018

These days, one of your biggest clients is women getting married. Whether they’re walking into your brick-and-mortar store to try on the perfect earrings to match the wedding ring the second they put it on or going through your online catalogue searching for matching friendship bracelets for the bridesmaids to wear on the big day, they’re always willing to spend a little extra for jewellery that other clients might wait to buy for another day. Business is always going well during the wedding season–but now you’ve met a challenge: the brides of Generation Z.

Also known as the “always on, on demand” generation, the youngest generation in America is now entering their early 20s–which means that the oldest of them are starting to get married. But how do you attract them to your jewellery business, when they’re so careful about how they spend their money? Here’s how:

1 Be real

Gen Zers, according to computerworld.uk, are “more risk averse than their predecessors… They’re a savvy bunch with realistic expectations and a no-nonsense approach.” They’re the kind of generation that goes straight to smoking Juul e-cigarettes because of the reviews they’ve read online and the studies they’ve researched about how much healthier that is than regular cigarettes. They’re not going to buy something because they’ve seen an ad for it–in fact, 69 percent of them think ads are disruptive, so writing an ad isn’t going to work.

Instead, you’ll want to provide them with real, honest information about your jewellery. For example, if you’re only using lab-made diamonds now, instead of those sold through the blood diamond trade, write a blog post about why this is an important ethical choice to you. If there’s a new design you’re selling, explain why you love it–and include as many pictures and information about it as possible, so that they can complete their research.

2 Tell a story–and tell it on social media

According to mediakix, instead of traditional advertisements, what Gen Zers prefer in the marketing world are “authenticity and realistic narrative in advertisements. This is evidenced by Generation Z’s preference for influencer marketing.63 percent of Generation Zwould prefer to seesocial media influencers in advertisements where only 37 percent of Generation Z would prefer celebrities.” They relate a huge amount to movies like The Social Network and People You May Know–because they spend so much time online, where they catch up on their friends’ stories (and influencers’ stories) on platforms like Snapchat and Instagram.

So if you can get in touch with an influencer, pay them or give them some free merch in exchange for reviewing your product, you’ll get lots of new interest from Gen Z brides. You’ll want to post often on your blog, telling stories about your business–for example, a video of how a necklace is made, from start to finish–and sharing on all relevant social media platforms. Use the story features of Snapchat and Instagram, and consider buying some ad space from popular Instagram accounts that Gen Zers are already following.

3 Make it about the experience

Considering how much attention this generation requires, focusing on the actual experience of your product–and not the product itself–is going to make a huge difference in your marketing efforts. According to Deep Patel, entrepreneur and bestselling author, “Gen Zers are the first generation that has never known life without easy Internet access…they recognize the value of their attention. They don’t sit through ads. They don’t give heavily sponsored content the time of day. What they’re looking for is value.” If you’re a brick-and-mortar store, consider inviting Gen Z brides for free tests of your jewellery, and even creating faux-diamonds for jewellery they can take home to model with the dresses they’ve got there.

If you’re an online jewellery store, this might be more of a challenge–but luckily, technological advancements make this easier. After all, Oberlo.com’s got a list of 40 t-shirt mockup templates for online stores that want to show how their clothing would look like on a model, even when they don’t have the money to hire one. Consider creating an app, using a service like AppyPie, where customers can take a selfie and “try on” your jewellery digitally.

4 The customer’s always right

Especially when it comes to Gen Z, the customer is most definitely always right. According to thebalance.com, “This group understands that they are teens (young). But, they believe that they are armed with more power (and intelligence) [than] their older siblings and parents… Which means they expect you to treat them like they are 30 and not 20. Customer experience is everything to this generation.”

It’s no surprise, then, that customer service interactions over Twitter increased 250 percent from 2015 to 2017–we’re all so connected that we’re expecting customer service to be a 24/7 affair. So take your customers seriously, reply immediately, and consider using chatbots so you can always answer queries.

As you can see, by following these strategies, you’re sure to get some Gen Z brides rushing to buy jewellery from your business.

What strategies are you most excited to use to attract Gen Z brides to your jewellery business?